PLATO 2.0 has recently been selected for ESA’s M3 launch opportunity (2022/24). Providing accurate key planet parameters (radius, mass, density and age) in statistical numbers, it addresses fundamental questions such as: How do planetary systems form and evolve? Are there other systems with planets like ours, including potentially habitable planets? The PLATO 2.0 instrument consists of 34 small aperture telescopes (32 with 25 s readout cadence and 2 with 2.5 s candence) providing a wide field-of-view (2232 deg 2) and a large photometric magnitude range (4–16 mag). It focusses on bright (4–11 mag) stars in wide fields to detect and characterize planets down to Earth-size by photometric transits, whose masses can then be determined by ground-based radial-velocity follow-up measurements. Asteroseismology will be performed for these bright stars to obtain highly accurate stellar parameters, including masses and ages. The combination of bright targets and asteroseismology results in high accuracy for the bulk planet parameters: 2 %, 4–10 % and 10 % for planet radii, masses and ages, respectively. The planned baseline observing strategy includes two long pointings (2–3 years) to detect and bulk characterize planets reaching into the habitable zone (HZ) of solar-like stars and an additional step-and-stare phase to cover in total about 50 % of the sky. PLATO 2.0 will observe up to 1,000,000 stars and detect and characterize hundreds of small planets, and thousands of planets in the Neptune to gas giant regime out to the HZ. It will therefore provide the first large-scale catalogue of bulk characterized planets with accurate radii, masses, mean densities and ages. This catalogue will include terrestrial planets at intermediate orbital distances, where surface temperatures are moderate. Coverage of this parameter range with statistical numbers of bulk characterized planets is unique to PLATO 2.0. The PLATO 2.0 catalogue allows us to e.g.: - complete our knowledge of planet diversity for low-mass objects, - correlate the planet mean density-orbital distance distribution with predictions from planet formation theories,- constrain the influence of planet migration and scattering on the architecture of multiple systems, and - specify how planet and system parameters change with host star characteristics, such as type, metallicity and age. The catalogue will allow us to study planets and planetary systems at different evolutionary phases. It will further provide a census for small, low-mass planets. This will serve to identify objects which retained their primordial hydrogen atmosphere and in general the typical characteristics of planets in such low-mass, low-density range. Planets detected by PLATO 2.0 will orbit bright stars and many of them will be targets for future atmosphere spectroscopy exploring their atmosphere. Furthermore, the mission has the potential to detect exomoons, planetary rings, binary and Trojan planets. The planetary science possible with PLATO 2.0 is complemented by its impact on stellar and galactic science via asteroseismology as well as light curves of all kinds of variable stars, together with observations of stellar clusters of different ages. This will allow us to improve stellar models and study stellar activity. A large number of well-known ages from red giant stars will probe the structure and evolution of our Galaxy. Asteroseismic ages of bright stars for different phases of stellar evolution allow calibrating stellar age-rotation relationships. Together with the results of ESA’s Gaia mission, the results of PLATO 2.0 will provide a huge legacy to planetary, stellar and galactic science. [less ▲]

Uncertainties on central mixing in main-sequence (MS) and core He-burning (He-B) phases affect key predictions of stellar evolution such as late evolutionary phases, chemical enrichment, ages, etc. We propose a test of the extension of extra-mixing in two relevant evolutionary phases based on period spacing (ΔP) of solar-like oscillating giants. From stellar models and their corresponding adiabatic frequencies (respectively, computed with ATON and LOSC codes), we provide the first predictions of the observable ΔP for stars in the red giant branch and in the red clump (RC). We find (1) a clear correlation between ΔP and the mass of the helium core (M [SUB]He[/SUB]); the latter in intermediate-mass stars depends on the MS overshooting, and hence it can be used to set constraints on extra-mixing during MS when coupled with chemical composition; and (2) a linear dependence of the average value of the asymptotic period spacing (langΔPrang[SUB] a [/SUB]) on the size of the convective core during the He-B phase. A first comparison with the inferred asymptotic period spacing for Kepler RC stars also suggests the need for extra-mixing during this phase, as evinced from other observational facts. [less ▲]

in Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series (2013, January 01)

Six O-type stars were observed continuously by the CoRoT satellite during a 34.3-day run. The unprecedented quality of the data allows us to detect even low-amplitude stellar pulsations in some of these ... [more ▼]

Six O-type stars were observed continuously by the CoRoT satellite during a 34.3-day run. The unprecedented quality of the data allows us to detect even low-amplitude stellar pulsations in some of these stars (HD 46202 and the binaries HD 46149 and Plaskett's star). These cover both opacity-driven modes and solar-like stochastic oscillations, both of importance to the asteroseismological modeling of O stars. Additional effects can be seen in the CoRoT light curves, such as binarity and rotational modulation. Some of the hottest O-type stars (HD 46223, HD 46150 and HD 46966) are dominated by the presence of red-noise: we speculate that this is related to a sub-surface convection zone. [less ▲]

Massive stars are characterized by a large radiation over gas pressure ratio. With increasing stellar initial mass, they suffer stronger stellar winds, and the induced mass-loss affects the evolution and ... [more ▼]

Massive stars are characterized by a large radiation over gas pressure ratio. With increasing stellar initial mass, they suffer stronger stellar winds, and the induced mass-loss affects the evolution and internal structure on the main sequence and on the post-main sequence. Recent ground-based observations and space missions have shown the presence of pulsations in massive stars, such as acoustic and gravity modes excited by the κ-mechanism and even solar-like oscillations. Strange modes could also be excited in the most massive stars (Aerts et al. 2010). We computed evolutionary tracks and non-adiabatic frequencies for initial masses ranging from 15 to 70 M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB] on the main sequence and on the post-main sequence taking mass loss into account and we discuss in this paper the results for 25 M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB] models. [less ▲]

Mass-loss of red giant branch (RGB) stars is still poorly determined, despite its crucial role in the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Thanks to the recent detection of solar-like oscillations in G-K ... [more ▼]

Mass-loss of red giant branch (RGB) stars is still poorly determined, despite its crucial role in the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Thanks to the recent detection of solar-like oscillations in G-K giants in open clusters with Kepler, we can now directly determine stellar masses for a statistically significant sample of stars in the old open clusters NGC 6791 and 6819. The aim of this work is to constrain the integrated RGB mass-loss by comparing the average mass of stars in the red clump (RC) with that of stars in the low-luminosity portion of the RGB [i.e. stars with L≲L(RC)]. Stellar masses were determined by combining the available seismic parameters ν[SUB]max[/SUB] and Δν with additional photometric constraints and with independent distance estimates. We measured the masses of 40 stars on the RGB and 19 in the RC of the old metal-rich cluster NGC 6791. We find that the difference between the average mass of RGB and RC stars is small, but significant [? (random) ±0.04 (systematic) M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB]]. Interestingly, such a small ? does not support scenarios of an extreme mass-loss for this metal-rich cluster. If we describe the mass-loss rate with Reimers prescription, a first comparison with isochrones suggests that the observed ? is compatible with a mass-loss efficiency parameter in the range 0.1 ≲η≲ 0.3. Less stringent constraints on the RGB mass-loss rate are set by the analysis of the ˜2 Gyr old NGC 6819, largely due to the lower mass-loss expected for this cluster, and to the lack of an independent and accurate distance determination. In the near future, additional constraints from frequencies of individual pulsation modes and spectroscopic effective temperatures will allow further stringent tests of the Δν and ν[SUB]max[/SUB] scaling relations, which provide a novel, and potentially very accurate, means of determining stellar radii and masses. [less ▲]

Context. The detection of pulsational frequencies in stellar photometry is required as input for asteroseismological modelling. The second short run (SRa02) of the CoRoT mission has provided photometric ... [more ▼]

Context. The detection of pulsational frequencies in stellar photometry is required as input for asteroseismological modelling. The second short run (SRa02) of the CoRoT mission has provided photometric data of unprecedented quality and time-coverage for a number of O-type stars. <BR /> Aims: We analyse the CoRoT data corresponding to three hot O-type stars, describing the properties of their light curves and search for pulsational frequencies, which we then compare to theoretical model predictions. <BR /> Methods: We determine the amplitude spectrum of the data, using the Lomb-Scargle and a multifrequency HMM-like technique. Frequencies are extracted by prewhitening, and their significance is evaluated under the assumption that the light curve is dominated by red noise. We search for harmonics, linear combinations, and regular spacings among these frequencies. We use simulations with the same time sampling as the data as a powerful tool to judge the significance of our results. From the theoretical point of view, we use the MAD non-adiabatic pulsation code to determine the expected frequencies of excited modes. <BR /> Results: A substantial number of frequencies is listed, but none can be convincingly identified as being connected to pulsations. The amplitude spectrum is dominated by red noise. Theoretical modelling shows that all three O-type stars can have excited modes, but the relation between the theoretical frequencies and the observed spectrum is not obvious. <BR /> Conclusions: The dominant red noise component in the hot O-type stars studied here clearly points to a different origin than the pulsations seen in cooler O stars. The physical cause of this red noise is unclear, but we speculate on the possibility of sub-surface convection, granulation, or stellar wind inhomogeneities being responsible. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany and Spain.Tables 2-4 are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via <A href="http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/533/A4">http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/533/A4</A> [less ▲]

The clear detection with CoRoT and Kepler of radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations in many red giants paves the way to seismic inferences on the structure of such stars. We present an overview of ... [more ▼]

The clear detection with CoRoT and Kepler of radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations in many red giants paves the way to seismic inferences on the structure of such stars. We present an overview of the properties of the adiabatic frequencies and frequency separations of radial and non-radial oscillation modes, highlighting how their detection allows a deeper insight into the properties of the internal structure of red giants. In our study we consider models of red giants in different evolutionary stages, as well as of different masses and chemical composition. We describe how the large and small separations computed with radial modes and with non-radial modes mostly trapped in the envelope depend on the stellar global parameters and evolutionary state, and we compare our theoretical predictions and first Kepler data.Finally, we find that the properties of dipole modes constitute a promising seismic diagnostic of the evolutionary state of red-giant stars. [less ▲]

The clear detection with CoRoT and KEPLER of radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations in many red giants paves the way for seismic inferences on the structure of such stars. We present an overview of ... [more ▼]

The clear detection with CoRoT and KEPLER of radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations in many red giants paves the way for seismic inferences on the structure of such stars. We present an overview of the properties of the adiabatic frequencies and frequency separations of radial and non-radial oscillation modes for an extended grid of models. We highlight how their detection allows a deeper insight into the internal structure and evolutionary state of red giants. In particular, we find that the properties of dipole modes constitute a promising seismic diagnostic tool of the evolutionary state of red giant stars. We compare our theoretical predictions with the first 34 days of KEPLER data and predict the frequency diagram expected for red giants in the CoRoT exofield in the galactic center direction. [less ▲]

Context. The availability of precisely determined frequencies of radial and non-radial oscillation modes in red giants is finally paving the way for detailed studies of the internal structure of these ... [more ▼]

Context. The availability of precisely determined frequencies of radial and non-radial oscillation modes in red giants is finally paving the way for detailed studies of the internal structure of these stars. <BR /> Aims: We look for the seismic signature of regions of sharp structure variation in the internal structure of the CoRoT target HR 7349. <BR /> Methods: We analyse the frequency dependence of the large frequency separation and second frequency differences, as well as the behaviour of the large frequency separation obtained with the envelope auto-correlation function. <BR /> Results: We find evidence for a periodic component in the oscillation frequencies, i.e. the seismic signature of a sharp structure variation in HR 7349. In a comparison with stellar models we interpret this feature as caused by a local depression of the sound speed that occurs in the helium second-ionization region. Using solely seismic constraints this allows us to estimate the mass (M = 1.2[SUB]-0.4[/SUB][SUP]+0.6[/SUP] M_&sun;) and radius (R = 12.2[SUB]-1.8[/SUB][SUP]+2.1[/SUP] R_&sun;) of HR 7349, which agrees with the location of the star in an HR diagram. [less ▲]

Overshooting and semiconvection are two poorly known mechanisms which affect the extent and the efficiency of chemical mixing outside classical convection zones in stars. We discuss the uncertainties and ... [more ▼]

Overshooting and semiconvection are two poorly known mechanisms which affect the extent and the efficiency of chemical mixing outside classical convection zones in stars. We discuss the uncertainties and the inferences of those processes in main sequence stars burning hydrogen in a convective core. We then focus on the asteroseismic signatures of partially or fully mixed zones surrounding the convective core, through the detailed shape of the induced chemical composition profile. We emphasize the potential power of asteroseismology to determine the internal structure of stars and thus to help us understand the physical processes at work inside the stars. [less ▲]

Context: Solar-like oscillations have been observed in numerous red giants from ground and from space. An important question arises: could we expect to detect non-radial modes probing the internal ... [more ▼]

Context: Solar-like oscillations have been observed in numerous red giants from ground and from space. An important question arises: could we expect to detect non-radial modes probing the internal structure of these stars? <BR />Aims: We investigate under what physical circumstances non-radial modes could be observable in red giants; what would be their amplitudes, lifetimes and heights in the power spectrum (PS)? <BR />Methods: Using a non-radial non-adiabatic pulsation code including a non-local time-dependent treatment of convection, we compute the theoretical lifetimes of radial and non-radial modes in several red giant models. Next, using a stochastic excitation model, we compute the amplitudes of these modes and their heights in the PS. <BR />Results: Distinct cases appear. Case A corresponds to subgiants and stars at the bottom of the ascending giant branch. Our results show that the lifetimes of the modes are mainly proportional to the inertia I, which is modulated by the mode trapping. The predicted amplitudes are lower for non-radial modes. But the height of the peaks in the PS are of the same order for radial and non-radial modes as long as they can be resolved. The resulting frequency spectrum is complex. Case B corresponds to intermediate models in the red giant branch. In these models, the radiative damping becomes high enough to destroy the non-radial modes trapped in the core. Hence, only modes trapped in the envelope have significant heights in the PS and could be observed. The resulting frequency spectrum of detectable modes is regular for â =0 and 2, but a little more complex for â =1 modes because of less efficient trapping. Case C corresponds to models of even higher luminosity. In these models the radiative damping of non-radial modes is even larger than in the previous case and only radial and non-radial modes completely trapped in the envelope could be observed. The frequency pattern is very regular for these stars. The comparison between the predictions for radial and non-radial modes is very different if we consider the heights in the PS instead of the amplitudes. This is important as the heights (not the amplitudes) are used as detection criterion. CIFIST Marie Curie Excellence Team. [less ▲]